454. Schumacher, Oregon Antiquities, MS., classifies their ancient arrow and spear points thus: Long barbs with projections, short barbs with projections, and long and short barbs without projections. 'The point of the spear is composed of a small bone needle, which sits in a socket, and pulls out as soon as the fish starts. A string connecting the spear handle and the center of the bone serves, when pulled, to turn the needle cross wise in the wound.' Taylor, in Cal. Farmer, March 8, 1861; Schoolcraft's Arch., vol. iii., p. 146.
455. The Shastas and their Neighbors, MS.; Hubbard, in Golden Era, April, 1856; Wiley, in Ind. Aff. Rept., 1867, p. 497. 'In spawning-time the fish school up from Clear Lake in extraordinary numbers, so that the Indians have only to put a slight obstruction in the river, when they can literally shovel them out.' Powers, in Overland Monthly, vol. x., p. 537; Schumacher's Oregon Antiquities, MS.
456. 'The camas is a bulbus root, shaped much like an onion.' Miller's Life Amongst the Modocs, p. 22.
457. 'A root about an inch long, and as large as one's little finger, of a bitter-sweetish and pungent taste, something like ginseng.' Powers, in Overland Monthly, vol. x., p. 537.
458. 'An aquatic plant, with a floating leaf, very much like that of a pond-lily, in the centre of which is a pod resembling a poppy-head, full of farinaceous seeds.' Ib. See also Meyer, Nach dem Sacramento, p. 222. 'Their principal food is the kamas root, and the seed obtained from a plant growing in the marshes of the lake, resembling, before hulled, a broom-corn seed.' Palmer, in Ind. Aff. Rept., 1854, p. 263.
459. The Klamaths 'subsist upon roots and almost every living thing within their reach, not excepting reptiles, crickets, ants, etc.' Thompson, in Ind. Aff. Rept., 1854, p. 283; Heintzelman, in Ind. Aff. Rept., 1857, p. 391; Roseborough's letter to the author, MS.
460. Turner, in Overland Monthly, vol. xi., p. 24.
461. At Rogue River, 'the men go in the morning into the river, but, like the Malays, bring all the dirt out on their skins that they took in.' Pfeiffer's Second Journ., p. 317. At Pitt River they are 'disgusting in their habits.' Abbott, in Pac. R. R. Rept., vol. vi., p. 61; The Shastas and their Neighbors, MS. 'Of the many hundreds I have seen, there was not one who still observed the aboriginal mode of life, that had not a sweet breath. This is doubtless due to the fact that, before they became civilized, they ate their food cold.' Powers' Pomo, MS. 'They always rise at the first dawn of day, and plunge into the river.' Hubbard, in Golden Era, March, 1856. 'Their persons are unusually clean, as they use both the sweat-house and the cold-bath constantly.' Gibbs, in Schoolcraft's Arch., vol. iii., p. 142. 'Mit Tagesanbruch begibt sich der Allequa (Trinidad Bay) in jeder Jahreszeit zur nahen Quelle, wo er sich am ganzen Leibe wäscht und in den Strahlen der aufsteigenden Sonne trocknen lässt.' Meyer, Nach dem Sacramento, p. 221; Roseborough's letter to the author, MS.
462. Carl Meyer, after describing the bow, adds: 'Fernere Waffen der Allequas sind; das Obsidian-Beil oder Tomahawk, die Keule, die Lanze und der Wurfspiess.' Nach dem Sacramento, p. 218. This statement, I think, may be taken with some allowance, as nowhere else do I find mention of a tomahawk being used by the Californians.
463. Schumacher, Oregon Antiquities, MS., speaking of an ancient spear-point, says, 'the pointed teeth show it to have been a very dangerous weapon.' Roseborough's letter to the author, MS. On the Klamath River, 'among the skins used for quivers, I noticed the otter, wild-cat, fisher, fawn, grey fox and others.' Gibbs, in Schoolcraft's Arch., vol. iii., p. 141. Near Mt. Shasta, 'bows and arrows are very beautifully made: the former are of yew, and about three feet long … backed very neatly with sinew, and painted. … The arrows are upwards of thirty inches long.' Wilkes' Nar., in U. S. Ex. Ex., vol. v., p. 255. At Port Trinidad, 'arrows are carried in quivers of wood or bone, and hang from their wrist or neck.' Maurelle's Jour., p. 20. On Pigeon River 'their arrows were in general tipped with copper or iron.' Greenhow's Hist. Ogn., p. 110. The Pit River 'arrows are made in three parts.' Abbott, in Pac. R. R. Rept., vol. vi., p. 61. The Allequas at Trinidad Bay, described by Carl Meyer, carried their arrows either 'schussfertig in der Hand oder in einem über die Schultern geworfenen Köcher aus Fuchs- oder Biberpelz. Der Bogen ist aus einer starken, elastischen Rothtannenwurzel verfertigt, etwa 3½ Fuss lang und auf der Rückseite mit einer Bärensehne überklebt.' Nach dem Sacramento, p. 217. See Mofras, Explor., Atlas, plate xxv. Speaking of the quiver, Mr. Powers says: 'in the animal's head they stuff a quantity of grass or moss, as a cushion for the arrow-heads to rest in, which prevents them from being broken.' Overland Monthly, vol. viii., p. 532. 'Their arrows can only be extracted from the flesh with the knife.' Cutts' Conquest of Cal., p. 170. 'Am oberen Theile (California) ist der Bogen von einer Lage von Hirsch-Sehnen verstärkt und elastisch gemacht. Die Pfeile bestehen aus einem rohrartigen Gewächse von mässiger Länge, an der Spitze mit Obsidian … versehen, ihre Länge ist 2 Zoll, ihre Breite 1 Zoll und die Dicke 1/3 Zoll, scharfkantig und spitz zulaufend.' Wimmel, Californien, p. 180.
464. Powers' Pomo, MS.; Schumacher's Oregon Antiquities, MS.; The Shastas and their Neighbors, MS.
465. Hist. Mag., vol. iii., p. 214.
466. Johnson, in Overland Monthly, vol. ii., p. 536. At Trinidad Bay 'zuweilen werden die Pfeile mit dem Safte des Sumachbaumes vergiftet, und alsdann nur zum Erlegen wilder Raubthiere gebraucht.' Meyer, Nach dem Sacramento, p. 218. 'Einige Stämme vergiften die Spitzen ihrer Pfeile auf folgende Weise: Sie reizen nämlich eine Klapperschlange mit einer vorgehaltenen Hirschleber, worin sie beisst, und nachdem nun die Leber mit dem Gifte vollständig imprägnirt ist, wird sie vergraben und muss verfaulen; hierin wird nun die Spitze eingetaucht und dann getrocknet.' Wimmel, Californien, p. 180. The Pitt River Indians 'use the poison of the rattle-snake, by grinding the head of that reptile into an impalpable powder, which is then applied by means of the putrid blood and flesh of the dog to the point of the weapon.' Gross' System of Surgery, vol. i., p. 321. 'The Pitt River Indians poisoned their arrows in a putrid deer's liver. This is a slow poison, however, and sometimes will not poison at all.' The Shastas and their Neighbors, MS.; Schumacher's Oregon Antiquities, MS.